Here is a quote from a Washington Post article by Howard Kurtz (here):
The Justice Department's decision to subpoena a New York Times reporter this week has convinced some press advocates that President Obama's team is pursuing leaks with the same fervor as the Bush administration.The Bush Administration issued a subpoena to Mr. Risen but when it was contested, it was allowed to expire. The Obama Administration re-issued the subpoena even though President Obama has indicated that it would favor a shield law so that journalists could shield their sources. But now the Obama Administration is re-issuing a subpoena that would be prohibited by the shield law that the Obama Administration claims to support. Here is the clip from The Rachel Maddow Show about this topic:
James Risen, who shared a Pulitzer Prize for disclosing President George W. Bush's domestic surveillance program, has refused to testify about the confidential sources he used for his 2006 book "State of War: The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration."
"The message they are sending to everyone is, 'You leak to the media, we will get you,' " said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In the wake of the Bush administration's aggressive stance toward the press, she said, "as far as I can tell there is absolutely no difference, and the Obama administration seems to be paying more attention to it. This is going to get nasty."
Kurt Wimmer, a Washington lawyer who helped win White House approval for a proposed federal shield law, called the move against Risen "disappointing" after "we had positive discussions with the Obama administration" on the need to give journalists a legal foundation for protecting their sources in most cases.
We need to hold President Obama accountable for his campaign promises. Please write to him. Here is the link to contacting him.
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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